Senate Democrats Report $21.7B Waste by DOGE Across Federal Programs

A series of Senate Democratic reports have criticized the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led initially by Elon Musk, for causing over $21 billion in government waste within six months, primarily due to mass layoffs and deferred resignation programs that paid federal workers not to work. These reports highlight that DOGE's actions not only failed to improve efficiency but also resulted in significant human suffering, including the elimination of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is projected to cause millions of additional global deaths by 2030. Senate investigations emphasize that the administration's so-called spending cuts were counterproductive, with government spending in 2025 surpassing previous years despite DOGE's reductions. Additionally, a separate Senate DOGE Caucus report revealed that over a dozen federal infrastructure projects are over budget by at least $162 billion, describing these overruns as substantial financial failures and calling for rescissions to save taxpayer money. Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation to increase transparency and accountability for delayed and over-budget federal projects. These findings collectively suggest that DOGE’s approach prioritized disruption over governance, resulting in financial inefficiencies and adverse social impacts rather than the intended savings and improvements.